The National Average Hourly Rate for a Babysitter in 2019 Will Shock You

Think back to your teenage babysitting days. Were you raking in close to $20 an hour? Probably not.

Fast forward to 2019, and times have sure changed. According to the popular online babysitter booking platform, UrbanSitter, the average hourly babysitting rate in America is $16.75 an hour for one child, $19.26 for two children, and $20.76 for three children. For their eighth annual survey, UrbanSitter looked at data from 28,000+ families across the U.S. to come up with these figures.

The rates that they shared for Southern cities hovered below the national average. For instance, Raleigh's average rate for one child comes in at $12.33, Houston's at $12.20, and Miami's at $12.67. Even Washington D.C.'s rate for one child is a reasonable $16.15, whereas San Francisco — the most expensive state for child care based on UrbanSitter data — is $18.75.

Of course, certain variables could have skewed the survey data, such as geographic density in the cities included in the data reviewed and the average household income of those who use UrbanSitter likely being higher than the national average.

Either way, a night out on the town will cost you — but hey, as every mama and papa knows, sanity lost from staying home 365 nights a year could cost you more.